How is partner management handled in the system?
The screenshots in this article show the German interface. Where a button or field matters, the German label is given in brackets so you can match text to screenshot.
Contract partners are managed as contacts in ContractHero. This article shows you how to open the contact list, create and edit a contact, save your own views and export them.
What's in it for you
Instead of typing the same address into ten contracts one by one, you maintain it once as a contact — and every linked contract stays consistent. When the contract partner moves, you change the address in a single place. That saves admin work, keeps junk data out of your account, and makes reporting questions ("which contracts hang off which partner?") answerable straight away.
How it works
1. Open the contact overview
In the left-hand navigation, click Contacts („Kontakte").
You see the table of all contract partners with the default columns Name, Number of contracts („Anzahl Verträge"), Main contact („Hauptansprechpartner"), Email („E-Mail"), Phone number („Rufnummer"), Address („Adresse"), City („Stadt"), Postcode („Postleitzahl"), Country („Land"), Website, Notes („Anmerkungen"), VAT ID („USt-IdNr."), Number of employees („Anzahl der Mitarbeiter") and Contact type („Kontakttyp"). The "Search contacts" („Kontakte suchen") field finds a specific partner quickly; bottom left, the "Count: X" („Anzahl: X") counter shows the total.
2. Create a new contact
Top right, click "+ New contact" („+ Neuer Kontakt").
A form opens in which you choose between Company („Unternehmen") and Person („Person") and record all the relevant master data — General („Generell": main contact, email, phone number), Location („Standort": address, postcode, city, country) and Company master data („Firmenstammdaten": legal form, VAT ID, industry, website, number of employees, and so on).
3. Save your own views
Once you have the columns and filters you need regularly, open the "View: Default view" („Ansicht: Standardansicht") dropdown at the top and choose "Save new view" („Neue Ansicht speichern"). In the dialogue you give it a name (for example "Customers DACH 2026") and decide on two optional switches — "Set as default view" („Als Standardansicht festlegen") and "Share view with the whole team" („Ansicht mit dem gesamten Team teilen"). You will find your own views afterwards under "My views" („Meine Ansichten") in the same dropdown.
4. Edit a contact
Clicking a contact name opens the detail view with its three areas General („Generell"), Location („Standort") and Company master data („Firmenstammdaten"). Use "Edit contact" („Kontakt bearbeiten") at the top to change fields, and "Merge contacts" („Kontakte zusammenführen") to combine duplicates. On the right-hand side, the Contracts („Verträge") and Tasks („Aufgaben") tabs show which records are already linked to this contact — including a "+ New contract" („+ Neuer Vertrag") button that creates a contract for this partner directly.
5. Export a view
The "View: …" („Ansicht: …") dropdown also gives you "Export view" („Ansicht exportieren") — the contacts currently visible are downloaded as a file, with your columns and filters applied.
Common questions
How does ContractHero distinguish between a company and a person?
Through the contact type („Kontakttyp"). When you create the contact you choose whether it is a Company („Unternehmen") or a Person („Person"). The type appears as a coloured badge next to the name in the detail view and controls which fields are shown as relevant (legal form and VAT ID, for instance, only matter for companies).
What is the difference between the main contact and additional contacts?
The main contact („Hauptansprechpartner") is the person used by default in lists, templates and signature requests. Additional contacts („Weitere Ansprechpartner") fill in the picture — a second accounting email address, say, or a CC address for contract matters — and can be shown via the column selection.
How do I link duplicate contacts?
Click "Merge duplicates" („Duplikate zusammenführen") at the top of the contact list. ContractHero shows you potential duplicates and you decide, pair by pair, which data is carried into the final contact — linked contracts stay with the merged record.
Can I import contacts?
At the moment you create contacts either directly from the contract list (while creating a contract) or one at a time via "+ New contact" („+ Neuer Kontakt"). A bulk import runs today through the XLS import of contracts — the contract partners are created along the way.
What does the number in the "Number of contracts" column mean?
It shows how many active and archived contracts are linked to this contact. Click the contact and you see the individual contracts on the right in the Contracts („Verträge") tab.
Good to know
- Contact field builder: you create your own fields (for example "Credit rating" or "Relationship note") under Settings → Field builder → Contact field builder („Einstellungen → Feldbaukasten → Kontaktfeldbaukasten"). Those fields then appear automatically in the column selection and in the detail view.
- Linking to contracts: when creating a contract you can either pick an existing contact or create a new one on the spot — both end up in the same contact list.
- "Number of contracts: 0": contacts with no linked contracts are often leftovers from test imports. Sorting by the "Number of contracts" („Anzahl Verträge") column finds them quickly.
- Shared views: as in the contract list, views can be shared across the team — everyone sees the same state. Only the person who created a shared view can edit it.
- Maintain master data centrally: an address change on the contact takes effect immediately for every linked contract — the contracts pull the data dynamically.
Related articles
Updated on: 08/26/2026
Thank you!